tortellini soup

Tortellini Soup
flavorful broth & green veggies

Making a quick soup with tortellini and broth is a favorite weekend fix.  Cold winter weather is finally settling in to our New England town and this lunch satisfies a busy, hungry crowd. You can keep it simple with just pasta, broth and a handful of fresh herbs.  Or you can deepen the flavor and increase the nutritional value with extra veggies.  

This is a quick pantry meal you'll definitely repeat!

with these staples, soup is on!

Ingredients:

evoo
1 t butter
1 anchovie, minced (optional)**
1/2 onion, diced
1 shallot diced
32 oz chicken broth
3 c water
2 bay leaves
1/2 t salt
2 c chopped veggies (asparagus, broccoli, carrots, celery, green beans, pears)
1 package tortellini (pick your favorite)

mince your anchovies before adding to the pan

See how the anchovies melt and dissolve in the butter?!

Tips: ** A word about anchovies.  Not everyone cares for them.  My recipes work without them but when I have them in the refrigerator, I use them.  No one in our family likes to eat them whole - so I use them when I can make them 'disappear' into a sauce, a soup or a dip.  They add another flavor dimension.

Directions:

1. While you warm a soup pot with the evoo and butter inside, mince one anchovie filet (if using) and dice your onion and shallot.  Add both the onion and shallot to the pan, saute for 5 minutes over medium heat, until the onion is translucent. You're not looking to brown them.

2. If you are using carrots and celery, add them at this time.  Chop your veggies while you watch the saute pan. I prefer bite-size pieces (1" or so).  I used broccoli and asparagus today because they were in the crisper.  I've also used green beans, frozen peas, carrots and celery.

3. Once the onion is translucent, (and your carrots and celery have softened) add the broth, water and bay leaves.  Bring to a boil.

4. Check your tortellini package for cooking time.  My package said 4-6 minutes.  (You'll want the soup to be finished when the tortellini are cooked through.  My broccoli and asparagus need a little extra time so I added them first.)  Add the veggies, turn down the heat to simmer.  I gave my veggies 2 minutes and then added the tortellini.

5.  I use this time to prepare small salami sandwiches.  A little cheese on top and a couple minutes under the broiler - yum!

6. Once the tortellini are cooked - you are ready to serve.  Warm, comforting, yummy!

Soup with salami sandwiches - Delish!

cabbage salad

great lunch on a cold day
garnished the soup with sour cream

The first time I had a fresh cabbage salad was in the kitchen of my DF (dear friend), Anne. She is one of those moms whose children seem to magically eat vegetables.  But of course, it is not magic - just Anne, sharing her love of all things fresh and seasonal, creating a home where her children appreciate good food.  

I'm unpacking holiday decorations today and reheating leftovers for lunch.  I want a little roughage to go with it.  This salad is the perfect accompaniment to my black bean soup and really to any smokey, grilled meats or a blackened salmon.  It is crunchy, refreshing and easy to put together. You could add grated carrot to this - like a mayo-free coleslaw. 

shred to your size preference

black bean soup was just as
yummy as day 1

Cabbage Salad
serves 2, adapted from Urban Pantry, by Amy Pennington

you can substitute your favorite vinegar:
champagne, apple cider, shallot, etc.
I recommend keeping it to a light color

Ingredients:

2 T Rice Vinegar
pinch of salt
pinch of sugar
3+ T evoo
1/2 head of green cabbage, sliced thinly

Directions:

1. Combine the vinegar, salt and sugar in a medium sized bowl and whisk in the evoo slowly.

2. Add the cabbage and toss with 'impeccably clean' hands. :)

3. Serve and Crunch away!

black bean soup

slightly smokey, creamy, yummy

I'm so excited to make this soup today.  'Turtle Beans' are my favorite and another staple in our pantry.  Remember my DF Claire? She makes an amazing Black Beans and Rice recipe that I serve like a chili.  And I always swap out the refried beans for black when we eat out.  Black beans are antioxidant-rich and a powerful addition to your diet.

This soup was part of last week's menu for the tree lighting with friends.  Typically, I make it to accompany grilled cheese sandwiches or salads.  Like many other 'repeat offenders' (recipes I go to time and again), I have a formula and sometimes vary the aromatics depending on what's in the veggie bin.  (See variations after the ingredient list.)  Because I'm remaking it today, I'm using canned beans.  With a little more prep, you could easily begin with dried beans, too.


Black Bean Soup

makes a big batch - could easily be reduced by half


Ingredients:
2-4 T evoo
1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 red pepper, chopped  
6 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
1/4 c dry sherry, optional
2 T cumin
1 T dry mustard
1 chipotle pepper, for smokey heat

4 15.5-oz cans black beans, I didn't rinse them

1 28 oz can tomatoes, I used whole

28 oz water, I used the tomato can to measure

salt and pepper to taste

Variations: red or white onion instead of yellow; any color bell pepper, chili powder or smoked paprika instead of the chipotle pepper

 Directions:

1. Heat a large soup pot.  Drizzle enough evoo to cover the bottom.  Saute the onion over medium heat to soften, while you chop the rest of the veggies.

2.  Once you have the carrots, red pepper and garlic ready, add them all to the onions with a pinch of salt to help them sweat.  Saute for about 6 minutes to soften, stirring occasionally to help the veggies cook evenly.

3.  Add the sherry and scrape the bottom for any bits.  Add the seasoning - cumin, mustard and pepper (either dried chili or chipotle).  Stir and let the seasoning soak in to the veggie base.  Approximately 2-3 minutes.

4.  Add the beans, tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer.  I let everything come together for about 20-30 minutes.  Then blitz in batches in the blender to finish.  This is a big recipe - so I did about 3 batches, filling the blender half-full each time. I use a big batter bowl to hold the soup that has been pureed.

5.  Then I return it to the pan to rewarm and season to taste.  Add salt, pepper and even some hot sauce if you like your soup with more heat!  While it is rewarming in the pan I prepare any toppings.  Today it is only some crumbled feta.  Simple and so yummy!

light lunch - avocado

I often eat five small meals a day
(keeps the crankiness at bay)
& this was my plate at 11AM today. 

Today's post is a 'Thank you' to my favorite witty Brit, Justine. One of my first meals at her home began so elegantly: a small salad with an avocado half in the center, filled with a delightful fig and walnut dressing.  Eating it with a spoon made it feel like a dessert.  Delicious!  It is not an overstatement to say that I fell in 'food love'.

I must admit, until a year or so ago, I bought avocados for guacamole or taco salad and not much else. Now, you'll always find two or three resting comfortably with the apples, pears and oranges in my fruit bowl.  I use them to garnish salads and soups, thicken my Divine Dressing or for this light lunch. Try it with your favorite dressing or one of my two ... Stonewall Kitchen's Cilantro Lime Dressing or Artisan's Savory Fig and Walnut Balsamic Vinaigrette.  I've found both at my local Whole Foods Store.

Enjoy!

red lentil soup

red lentil soup over basmati

Last year I made a delicious discovery at our local library, Vegetable Soups from Deborah Madison's Kitchen. It is a love letter to vegetable soups and a terrific resource.  This particular soup, a mix of vegetables and red lentils, brings a wonderful aroma to my winter kitchen. I love to serve it over basmati rice (prepared in advance in my rice cooker) with some additional toppings. As with most recipes, I've tailored it a bit to things I stock in my kitchen.

This post is especially for Jean - who has been so enthusiastic and supportive of my family's cookbook blog.  She and her granddaughter are trying to increase their repertoire of vegan meals.  My version of the recipe is vegetarian and can easily be made vegan by substituting safflower oil for the butter.  I hope you'll make a bowl of this sunny soup this winter - it is satisfying and just makes you feel good.  When friends or family are under the weather, this is the recipe I reach for.


Ingredients:
adapted from 'Vegetable Soups from Deborah Madison's Kitchen'


2 T butter (can substitute safflower oil)
1 onion, diced
4 carrots
1-2 celery stalks
1 zucchini
3 T (1/3 of a bunch) cilantro stems (reserve leaves for garnish)
1 t kosher salt
2 t turmeric
3 t cumin
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
1 c red lentils, rinsed well
7 c water
2 bay leaves
1 pinch of red pepper flakes (if you like a little heat)
1 lime


dressing it up:
basmati rice
additional lime wedges
cilantro or chives
diced avocado

chop veggies roughly
the same size

Directions:

1. Melt the butter in a soup pot.  Add the onion and saute over medium heat while you finish your chopping. Dice your carrot into small rounds.  Split the celery in half lengthwise then dice.  Quarter the zucchini lengthwise then dice. Mince the cilantro stems.  (Seems strange? Gives great flavor and they all but disappear into the soup.)

2. Add the carrots, celery, zucchini and cilantro stems to the pot.  Season with salt, turmeric and cumin - stir to coat.  Cook for 5 minutes or so, till the vegetables begin to soften.

3. Add the diced tomatoes, lentils, water.  Also, add the bay leaves and red pepper flakes if you choose.  Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer, partially covered, until the lentils soften - approximately 20 minutes.  Remove the bay leaves, season with salt, pepper and the juice of one lime.  Be sure to taste - your palate will guide you!

the turmeric colors this soup a sunshine gold

stuffed mushrooms

yummy bites for a hungry crowd

"Over the river and through the woods ..." to share Thanksgiving with my family, our tradition for more than 10 years.  I have many wonderful memories of sharing this holiday with my Aunt Terry and her brood so it is very meaningful to me that we are continuing that tradition with our children.

I always bring a few dishes to share with our extended family and this recipe for stuffed mushrooms is the most-requested.  They're wonderful for a large gathering - holidays, brunch with friends, football with a crowd ... you name it.  As with many of our favorites, I have a formula and will note ways that I often change it up.  


Many blessings, peace and joy to you and yours ~ Happy Thanksgiving!


Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:


1-2 Italian sausages
2  10-oz packages of mushrooms (cremini or button)

1 large shallot, peeled and rough chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 T vermouth, to deglaze 
1 t Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c italian bread crumbs
3/4 c grated parmesan cheese (plus extra for topping)

Directions:

1. Remove the sausage from the casings and brown in a fry pan over medium-high heat.  As it browns, help it crumble with the edge of your spatula. 

2. Time to mince the stems, shallot and garlic.  I chopped by hand today, but have been known to use the food processor. Pulse gently - you don't want a paste. 

3.  Remove and drain the sausage on paper towels when cooked through. Add the veggies (stems, shallot & garlic) to the pan, deglaze with the vermouth, add the seasoning and saute for about 3 minutes over medium heat.  Salt and pepper to taste.

4.  Remove pan from heat and let cool a bit.  Transfer to a larger bowl for mixing with the breadcrumbs, sausage and cheese to make the stuffing.  

5.  Stuff the caps - a teaspoon works best - and place on a large, rimmed baking sheet.  I'm using mini-muffin liners to try to stabilize these for the trip to NH.  

- when ready to bake and serve -

5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

6.  Sprinkle the caps with a little extra parmesan cheese, if you desire.  

7. Bake for 15-20 minutes in the center of the oven.  Keep an eye as ovens vary.  You're looking for the top to brown but also for the cap to cook and become tender to the bite. 

Make it yours: 

~ you can alter the cheese ... romano, pecorino or piave, any good melting cheese

~ white wine, red wine or marsala can be substituted for the vermouth

~ apple & chicken sausage or crabmeat both would make a nice brunch filling

~ you can make it vegetarian by substituting spinach for the sausage 

~ add more herbs and spices (like red pepper flakes) for extra flavor

Yummy finger food for your next party!

divine dressing

divine dressing makes delicious dipping!

This dressing is ridiculously good.  Perfect for dipping crudites (like we did last night during our homage to Joe), for spreading on sandwiches, jazzing up wraps and makes a spectacular potato salad. It is one of my favorites and I hope that you will give it a try this holiday season.  The fresh herbs may seem extravagant - but they are worth it.  It will ensure that your 'make to take' crudites platter is the hit of the party!

Divine Dressing

adapted from "Crudites with Green Goddess Dressing" Bon Appetite, December 2010

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c mayonnaise

1/4 c chives, snipped

3 T tarragon, chopped

2 T basil, snipped

2 T champagne vinegar
  (my twist, called for white wine)

2 garlic cloves, peeled
  (originally called for 1 clove)

1 anchovy fillet

1 ripe avocado
  (ok without but so creamy with) 

Directions:

1. When I say 'snipped' above it is to refer to when I use my kitchen shears for ease but chopping with a knife will work well, also. 

2. Blend the mayo in your food processor with the next 6 ingredients.  Scrape down the sides to incorporate. Then gently pulse in the avocado. 

2. This makes enough for two generous crudites platters.  So I stash a cup in the fridge for later use on sandwiches, etc. It generally keeps in my fridge for a week.

3. Have fun designing your crudites platter.  This is a great project for the kids.  There are some great ideas on the internet ... and I'll post pictures of the ones we make from time to time.

Happy dipping!

swiss chard soup

Swiss Chard Soup & a glass of Nebbiolo

I mentioned in Friday's post that the Goose Fair lunch features a Swiss Chard Soup, made by a small swarm of dedicated volunteers.  Try to imagine a group around a large industrial-type kitchen, all chopping away and making the building blocks of a soup that will nourish so many.  It is truly a labor of love.  My recipe is inspired by this and by a traditional bean and chard soup from Italy.  There is still some chopping and plenty of yummy vegetables - but can easily be put together for a family of 4+ (with extra for leftovers - this soup reheats well).  This batch will be lunch for me this week as we prepare for the holidays and our annual pilgrimage to NH.

Swiss Chard Soup


Ingredients:
EVOO to cover the bottom of your soup pot
1/2 onion, chopped small
2 carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 stalk of celery*, diced (yikes - I was out so used a dash of celery salt)
1/2 t kosher salt
1/4 t fresh rosemary (can substitute dried)
2 anchovy fillets
1 t Italian seasoning
2 bay leaves
1 bunch of swiss chard (can substitute kale)
1 can red kidney beans
8 c of chicken broth
1 c of dried, small pasta (I use Ditalini)
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan Cheese, grated for serving


Directions:

1. Prepare your veggies - rinse the chard, chop your onions & carrots. I also took a moment to chop the chard stems in half-moons and the chard in short ribbons.  Drain your beans.

2. Heat your pot and cover with EVOO.

3. Add onions, carrots, garlic cloves and *celery to the pot. I use 1/2 t kosher salt here to help them 'sweat'.  Saute for several minutes until the onions are translucent.

4. While waiting, mince the anchovy fillets and rosemary together to almost a paste.  Add to the saute with the bay leaves.  Leave on med-low heat to soften further, 5 minutes or so.

5. Add your chard and beans - I covered to help the greens wilt a bit.  Once the leaves had reduced by almost half, I remove the garlic and bay leaves.  (If you minced your garlic, I think it is perfectly fine to leave it in the soup.)  Add the broth. Bring to a boil.  If your soup needs more liquid (some ingredients are not exact - it should be to your liking) then I recommend adding water or more broth.

5 Add the dried pasta, return to a simmer and let cook for 6 minutes more.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve with grated parmesan.


Great reheated the next day!